


Taming The Monkey

by breea1 (kipplemine)



Category: Glee
Genre: Angst and Humor, Bonding, F/F, M/M, Possessive Behavior, Scenting, alternative universe, lycanthropy, slight dub-con
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-13
Updated: 2013-01-13
Packaged: 2017-11-25 10:28:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,973
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/637933
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kipplemine/pseuds/breea1
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Re-post of a fic originally posted at the Puckurt comm on LJ. A sequel to emoczei's fic 'Bitten', which can be found here http://puckurt.livejournal.com/177217.html?page=2</p>
<p>Puck gets bitten and Kurt suddenly smells <i>really</i> good.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Taming The Monkey

After Kurt had found out about him and his new...condition...Puck figured that everything would just fall into place. Kurt was going to accept that Puck’s new passion in life was him and the total annihilation of anyone or anything that threatened Kurt’s happiness or well being and they’d get along as best they could and Kurt would submit to the fact that his new place in life was just behind Puck, tucked carefully into his shadow and protected from the rest of the world.

That, of course, completely fails to happen. Mainly because a few days of Puck beating the living daylights out of anyone that looked at Kurt the wrong way and alternatively pinning him to walls and sniffing him or hunting him down to pin him to walls and sniff _and_ lick him did nothing to make Kurt forget that, for the most part, Puck has made his life a living hell for nearly as long as they both could remember and Kurt seemed mostly to give off the terrified scent that makes Puck want to kill everyone in the world when Puck is with him and pinning him to said walls.

That is somewhat of a problem as it wasn’t like Puck could kick the ever loving crap out of himself...although the more he smelt that scent the more he sure as hell _wanted_ too.

He was beginning to really hate looking at himself in the mirror and he’s _really_ beginning to hate the way Kurt holds himself tense against him, fear and arousal battling it out as Puck buries his face in his neck and holds him for those few precious minutes a day that Kurt has agreed to meet with him out at Sylvester’s house to let Puck immerse himself in his mate’s presence and stop him going batshit fucking insane with the constant want and need that claws at his belly all the time.

All of which is still not an explanation as to how he found himself going to the one person on earth he figured was more emotionally retarded than he was for, god help him, _relationship_ advice.

“You said she was scared of you too, right?” Puck looked across the small coffee table in Sue Sylvester’s apartment at the woman herself and, once again, found himself boggling at just how screwed his life had become. “You had to work for it.”

Sue snorted, lounging back in her easy chair like a rangy mountain lioness, all sinewy muscle and barely hidden claws and fangs. “I still do. The woman’s a neurotic mess. First time I laid one her she passed out and then spent the next three hours bathing in Listerine. _Literally_.” A weirdly fond look passed over the woman’s face as she laughed to herself. “Whacko.”

“Yeah,” Puck stared and then blinked rapidly making a mental note to go home and then bathe himself down with bleach because...ugh! He took a deep breath and forced himself on, remembering that he needed help here and, goddamn it, Sue Sylvester was it. “But she’s not really scared of you now, right? I mean you don’t get that...I don’t smell....she’s not scared now.”

Sue looked blank for a moment and then rolled her eyes in comprehension. “Oh. Right.” She pushed herself up with easy grace and moved to the bookshelf behind her, moving aside a few chick flick novels in luridly bright jackets to fish out a thin non-descript volume behind them. “Here. This’ll help.”

Puck looked down at the book that had been shoved in his hands. “’ _Domesticating Your Primate_?’” He stared hard at the picture on the cover and blinked rapidly as though this would help him come to terms with what he was seeing. It didn’t. “You trained Miss Pillsbury like a monkey?”

Sue looked affronted and annoyed. “ _Tamed_ , I tamed her like a monkey!” She brought both hands up before her and flexed them, staring down at them with narrowed eyes. “These babies are lethal weapons in the right circumstances and we’re not all born alpha, bucko. They can smell power. It makes them antsy.” Completely horrifying Puck, Sue tapped the side of her nose and winked at him. “She had to be taught that these,” Sue spread her arms apart and gave him jazz hands in demonstration. “Can make her feel good and that they’re never gonna make her feel bad again.” She narrowed her eyes again. “Hey, you’re not looking so hot; you want me to go get the Listerine?”

~*~*~*

A few days later and Puck was desperate enough to resort to looking through the book Sue had insisted on pressing on him as he staggered green faced out her door with the encouraging shout of ‘Adapt and overcome!’ ringing in his ears. It seemed whatever he did, or whatever he said, Kurt still gave off wave after wave of sheer terror anytime he went near him and Puck was starting to get more than a little tired of it. Also, it made his nose itch.

Puck figured at least a part of his frustration was down to the fact that although Kurt said he got the whole lycanthropy thing he really, really _didn’t_. The smaller boy seemed to think that just because his mouth still went a mile a minute spitting out sarcasm and insults whenever Puck even raised an eyebrow in his direction that Puck was fooled into thinking he wasn’t scared down to his curling little toes by the new situation and by Puck in particular. Puck learned pretty damn fast to rely on his new enhanced senses to read his mate because if he let himself just focus on the aloof expressions on Kurt’s face and the cool dismissal in his voice then he really was fooled into thinking everything was fine and dandy.

Which kind of made him sick to his stomach when he thought of how often Kurt had worn those expressions and used that tone of voice when he had been hunted and surrounded by baying bullies and jocks and how damn scared he must have been each and every time.

The other part of the new bond between them was that when Puck said that he would never, ever hurt Kurt again what he actually meant was completely incapable of doing so, _ever_. Kurt didn’t seem to get the difference between Puck getting irritated and frustrated with him (hey, he might be as newly devoted mated lycanthrope but he was still human, no pun intended) and genuine intention to force and bully. Which, okay, it wasn’t like Kurt had a huge frame of reference to draw from for that but he could at least give Puck the benefit of the doubt, right?

The final thing that pushed him into looking at the book that Sue had given him was Adam sidling up to him after yet another terror and subsequent sneeze inducing session between Puck and Kurt at Sylvester’s house and telling him that not only was there a ritual to sever their bond but that Kurt knew of the ceremony to alter his body chemistry that he was permitted to undergo after a year as Puck’s mate and that would free him from Puck’s attentions.

It took a while to calm Puck down, and stop him ripping Adam limb from limb when the abrupt shock of thinking he might actually lose Kurt somewhere down the line triggered a spontaneous shift to the jaguar, but Sylvester finally confirmed the existence of the ceremony and the fact that Puck only had a year to win his mate over into his arms forever. 

Also, they hadn’t told him because they didn’t really think he needed the added pressure and they had every confidence that the ritual would not be needed.

Puck thought of Kurt’s fear rigid body and the scent of shame and terror wafting off him every time he held him close and snarled, called them both morons and defiantly shifted back to his animal form to run all the way home and nearly get shot by some cops when he got spotted in the middle of town and they thought he’d escaped from a zoo.

He’d spent the remainder of that night curled in the shadows at the back of Kurt’s house, near invisible in the darkness and watching with feline eyes through one of the basement windows as his mate slept huddled in the middle of his big bed and flanked on all sides by a fortress of pillows and blankets. God, the kid even slept defensively.

The book was cracked the next day. Puck, once he got past all the animal references and dumb stories about monkeys that now changed their own diapers and ate with knives and forks, realised that what Sue had actually given him was a step-by-step guide on how to be _kind_. How to win trust from something that had no reason to give it and he felt like kind of a tool when he saw her the next day in the halls at school and she shot him a smirk from where she was leaning over Miss Pillsbury with one hand planted on the wall by the other woman’s head and the smaller teacher was smiling up the Cheerio coach and absently stroking her arm.

He went looking for Kurt, resisted the urge to grit his teeth and smack himself in the face when the other boy sneered at him in disdain and nearly knocked him off his feet with the now wretchedly acridly familiar stench of terror, and instead quietly asked if he would go get something to eat with him after school. Kurt’s mask had slipped for a split second and Puck caught a glimpse of panic in the derisive blue eyes before he had drawn himself up and informed Puck with icy scorn that he already had plans and he had no intention of breaking them just because Puck suddenly had an urge to bolster his already monstrous energy levels with artery clogging meat products before forcing another degrading session of _bad touching_ on Kurt. 

Puck stared at him, glanced sideways at Mercedes who had been a terrified but also delighted witness to the whole thing even if she didn’t have a clue what Kurt had meant by the bad touching reference, and then nodded. “Okay. Some other time maybe?”

Kurt, already curling into himself in expectation of a push back into his locker or being dragged off his feet to the nearest dumpster after finally pushing his luck too far, blinked at him warily. “Pardon?”

Puck shrugged, tucked his hands into his pockets and said calmly, “Some other time if you’re busy today? Maybe the weekend or something?”

Kurt and Mercedes exchanged looks and then, unintentionally comically, huddled defensively together and peered up at Puck with identical expressions of worried suspicion.

Puck couldn’t stop the grin that stretched over his face which only seemed to make matters worse and he fought the urge to gag at the nearly overwhelming smell of distrust and nerves that assaulted him from the pair. Fuck, was everyone in this school terrified of him? Kurt wrapped a bolstering arm around Mercedes and tilted his chin defiantly. “We’re going to the mall and then to the movies. I’m busy then too.”

Previous to his hasty change of species Puck’s worst nightmare would have been spending a day at the mall shopping and finishing up with what would undoubtedly be a chick flick – now the thought of his mate alone (he didn’t count Aretha since his new senses had shown him how much of her hard ass shield was just an act like Kurt’s) and unprotected for hours in a huge space filled with nothing but potential threats made his vision go red and a curious buzzing sound in his ears. He licked his lips and tried to ignore the looks of alarm in the two pairs of wide eyes fixed on him when he couldn’t hold back a growl. “Right. I could meet you for lunch, maybe? I’ll buy.” The two pairs of eyes got wider and Puck chose to take the appalled silence as agreement. “Okay.” He forced a smile at Mercedes and pretended not to see her startled recoil and move to reach for the cross hanging around her neck and then smiled with considerably more warmth at Kurt. “I’ll catch you later.”

Kurt looked like he wanted to burst into tears.

Watching Puck walk away and snarl warningly at a football player that was innocently (for once) walking towards them whilst drinking from a slushie, Mercedes swallowed and winced when her dry throat clicked painfully. “That boy just isn’t right.” She waited until Puck had turned the corner and disappeared out of sight before looking at Kurt’s white face. “Tell me we are ditching his ass come Saturday. There is no way I am going shopping for bras and panties with _Noah Puckerman_.”

“Oh yes,” Kurt said, patting reassuringly at her fingers where they gripped his arm and were incidentally crushing the fabric of his new jacket. “Absolutely. Never going to happen.”

~*~*~*

Puck grinned victoriously at Kurt when the boy came barrelling out of his house at seven thirty on Saturday morning and stumbled to an inglorious halt at the sight of his unwanted admirer lounging up against the side of his car with his arms folded across his chest and Mercedes standing at his side looking torn between horror and bewilderment in the early morning light.

“Thought I’d save you the trouble of picking up Aretha.” Puck’s satisfied grin widened considerably at the stricken look on Kurt’s face as his eyes darted to his best friend.

“Overheard you guys saying yesterday you were going to that new place outside of town and figured it was too far just to meet you for lunch so we might as well do the whole day together. That’s cool, right?”

This time not only Kurt but Mercedes looked like tears were a strong possibility.

Puck nodded and straightened from his lean. “Good.” He jerked his head at Kurt. “Let’s go.”

~*~*~*

Puck watched as Kurt entered Sylvester’s spare bedroom and reluctantly began to take off his jacket and fold it neatly with the air of a man who was going to the gas chamber. The ever present stench of his wariness at being alone with Puck permeated the room and when he finally turned to face Puck his face was smooth and blank, the expression in his eyes already distancing himself from what was about to happen. 

Stifling his own nerves, Puck moved to the long couch he and Adam had moved into the room before Kurt had arrived and sat down, holding out his hand. Kurt already braced up against the wall in preparation of the usual slam, pin and sniff fest stared at it blankly and then looked at Puck in confusion. “Thought we might try something different.” Trying to sound as encouraging and reassuring as he knew how – because he was damned if he was going to be beaten at this sensitivity shit by Sue fucking Sylvester – Puck crooked his fingers invitingly. “Come sit down.”

Kurt plastered himself harder against the wall and shook his head in violent refusal. “You must be kidding! There is no way I am actually...I not.... _I won’t_....”

Puck blinked and then exploded up off the couch when he realised what conclusion Kurt had jumped too. “What the fuck is wrong with you, Hummel? You seriously think I’d do that to you? How many times I gotta tell you that I’m not gonna hurt you?” He found himself across the room without being aware he’d actually moved and his arms braced either side of Kurt’s white face. “You’re safe with me, okay?”

Kurt tried to withdraw further at the furious snarl and yelled, “Obviously! Everyone who wants me to feel comfortable in their company shouts at me and traps me against walls!”

Puck jerked back at the angry shout – and at yet another wave of that fucking awful stench – and opened his mouth to yell back before getting a good look at Kurt’s face. Angry, scared and just as lost and confused as he himself was feeling – but without the heightened awareness of the situation that Puck’s new senses accorded him because of _course_ this was just going to seem like a continuation of the bullying and abuse that Kurt had suffered at his hands all through high school so far. As far as Kurt was concerned he was still here under duress, still being made to do things he didn’t want to do and was still at the physical mercy of someone far bigger and stronger that took no notice of his feelings or desires and just rode rough shod all over him. Puck drew back further and dropped his arms, wincing when he saw Kurt sag in boneless relief and then hurriedly scramble away from him. “Why are you here?” He watched as Kurt slid to the centre of the room and wrapped his arms around himself trying valiantly to get his usual look of cool superiority on his face and failing terribly. “Why did you agree to do this?”

Kurt blinked at him and looked even more miserable and lost before blurting out, “I don’t have a choice. Coach Sylvester said if I didn’t then that _thing_ you keep doing to me would only get worse and soon you wouldn’t be able to control it and you’d end up hurting me or someone else and...” He blinked again, rapidly and obviously battling back tears before shouting wretchedly, “ _I don’t have a choice_.”

Puck didn’t know it was possible to hate himself that much. To feel so much loathing for himself that he literally wanted to vacate his own body. He stared helplessly at Kurt’s shuddering figure for a long moment before holding out his arms to his sides and saying softly, “I’m sorry.” He fought to control the murderous urge roiling up inside him at the sight and smell of his mate’s obvious distress because, hello, that was him causing it after all and instead tried to look as harmless and non-threatening as he knew how. “I’m really, really sorry that you got dragged into this. Believe me, if I had a choice....”

Kurt laughed bitterly. “Yes, I know, I’m the last person you’d pick. I’m well aware, thanks.”

“What? No!” Puck moved closer, scowling when Kurt stepped back away from him. “Stop putting words in my mouth. I just meant I don’t want this to be so hard for you. I want you to get something out of it too.”

Kurt’s eyebrows rose in disbelief and then he turned his head away, a shamed flush creeping up his white cheeks. “I think we both know that I do. That’s what makes this so...degrading.”

Puck, to his utter mortification, felt his own blush rising. “Oh, hey, no. That’s just like...hormones and shit, right? That’s not you actually wanting me; you’re just kinda...reacting. It’d be the same for anyone.” Inside the jaguar roared with fury at the thought of Kurt reacting as he did to Puck with anyone else, but, to Puck’s ever lasting gratitude, the man overruled the beast. “I don’t take that personal; I know I’m pretty much your last choice too.”

Kurt flinched and then darted him a doubtful look. “Really?”

“Trust me,” said Puck, thinking to himself wryly ‘ _Actually, don’t, I am lying my ass off here_!’ “You’re just a normal guy reacting to normal guy things. Most days a change in wind direction can have an effect, right?”

Looking simultaneously repulsed and reassured, Kurt nodded. “I guess?”

Puck grinned at him. “I know.” He jerked his head at the couch. “Come and sit down, okay?” He held up his hands when Kurt scowled at him and said hurriedly, “Just to sit. The wall thing’s getting a little old and I thought maybe....” He broke off and said a little helplessly, “If we have to do this we can at least be comfortable, right? Nothing’s gonna happen, I swear.”

It took a few more long minutes of convincing but Puck eventually got Kurt onto the sofa and sitting uncomfortably by his side. They sat in silence for a long time, staring at different spots on the carpet before Puck couldn’t take it anymore. “Can I put my arm around you? I just need a few minutes and then we can get out of here.” He watched out of the corner of his eye as Kurt’s face tightened and then he reluctantly nodded his head. “Okay.” He lifted his arm and curved it around the other boy, adding belatedly, “Thanks.” 

They sat there for another fifteen minutes before Puck slowly tilted his head pushed his face into the curve of Kurt’s tense neck and his shoulder, breathing him in. He tried to be encouraged by the fact that under the smell of nerves and confusion he could also smell a faint whiff of almond brittle.

~*~*~*

It was slow, slow going trying to get Kurt to trust him – even with the help of The Book and Sue helpfully shouting ‘Oo-rah!’ every time she saw Puck – and he found himself more than once grinding his teeth in frustration and impotent rage when Kurt flinched away from him and usually the moment Kurt’s tail lights disappeared from view when he left Sylvester’s house Puck would shift and take off for hours at a time to run off the fury in his feline body that his mate inspired by his refusal to give so much of an inch in his resistance to Puck.

The rest of Glee club seemed to swing between sympathy and confused horror at the way Puck watched Kurt and trailed him around the school, whilst also point blank refusing to offer up an explanation for his bewildering behaviour, and made abortive attempts to keep them apart at rehearsals as much as possible.

Mr Schue just thought it was awesome they seemed to be getting on better and assigned them an assignment to sing together, which had even Rachel staring at him in disbelief and lost for words.

Word had quickly spread around school that Kurt Hummel was now officially off limits to everyone unless they really wanted an enraged Noah Puckerman appearing out of nowhere and explaining long and painfully with his fists why Kurt wasn’t even to be looked at sideways let alone slushied or touched in any way.

In some ways it was the most peaceful and enjoyable time Kurt had ever had in high school and he could have almost convinced himself it was all worth it if only the catalyst for the whole thing hadn’t been Noah Puckerman.

He looked up sharply when the door to their room at Sylvester’s house opened and Puck walked in, looking tense and slightly drawn in the face. He watched warily when Puck nodded at him and stripped off his letterman jacket before crossing the room and dropping heavily down beside him on the couch. “Hey, sorry I’m late. Practice ran late.”

“Alright.” Kurt nodded and leaned awkwardly sideways, eyes fixed on the floor and not meeting Puck’s gaze. “I’m ready.”

Puck raised an arm and then frowned and dropped it again. “Just give me a minute, alright?” He pressed a hand to his eyes, trying to ease the headache that had been building all day, and that he was profoundly hoping would be taken care of when he was with his mate. He gritted his teeth against the urge to haul Kurt against him and wrap him up hard in his arms, to hell with taking it slow and letting Kurt adjust at his own pace. He turned his head and eyed Kurt’s tense profile and had the sudden realisation that the clinical way they were handling the bond just wasn’t going to cut it for him tonight. “Look, you mind if we try something new again? It’s been a real rough day and I need something...more...tonight.”

The room was instantly flooded with increased waves of anxiety and suspicion.

Puck pressed his hand harder over his eyes and snapped irritably, “I’m not talking about fucking you over the back of the couch, Hummel; I’m just saying that I need something else okay? Still serious about not hurting you here, have a little faith, huh?”

Kurt shot him a furious look over his shoulder. “I didn’t for one moment think you meant that. Forgive me for not being immediately trusting when you suddenly announce your intentions to change our...arrangement.”

Puck stared. “Could you get any prissier?” He rolled his eyes when Kurt puffed up even more with indignation and turned so his torso was pressed into the corner of the couch and lifted one muscular leg with a grunt of effort over Kurt’s head to come to rest behind him. “Come here.”

It was Kurt’s turn to stare. “Excuse me?”

Puck patted the open space between his splayed legs and repeated softly. “Come here.” H e reached out slowly and touched one hand to Kurt’s tense arm. “Not going to force you into anything, okay? I just want to....” He closed his eyes briefly in pained disbelief at what he was about to say. “Hold you. Y’know...cuddle.”

Kurt stared harder and flicked his eyes down to where Puck’s hand rested on his arm and then back up to his face.

Puck opened his eyes, gritted his teeth and said grimly, “Please?”

Slowly Kurt nodded, saying hesitantly, “You swear that’s all it’s going to be? You won’t do anything else?”

Feeling his heart begin to pound in his chest with the beginnings of hope and excitement, Puck nodded slowly and said, “I’ve kept my word so far, right? Haven’t done anything to you?”

Kurt narrowed his eyes thoughtfully and then nodded. “I suppose not.” He made to turn his body away from Puck and then stopped, saying warningly, “If you do _anything_....”

“Nothing, I promise.” Puck tugged gently at Kurt’s arm again, coaxing, “Just come here.” He waited through another suspicious look from his mate and then held his breath when Kurt abruptly squared his shoulders and scooted back fast between his thighs to sit bolt upright and turned resolutely away from him. He glowered at the other boy’s tense body for a moment before saying, “Not like that. Lean back against me. I need to touch you.”

Kurt, impossibly, went even more rigid and then heaved a long suffering sigh, evidently hoping that was enough to fool Puck into thinking he was merely irritated instead of once more scared out of his mind. He reluctantly allowed his torso to tilt back until his back was to Puck’s chest and his head was held awkwardly just above one shoulder.

“Yeah, _that’s_ comfortable.” Puck brought his other leg up off the floor, hooking it under both of Kurt’s as he did so, and shoved until Kurt lost his balance and toppled back against him with a startled yelp. He ignored the panicked flailing and rearranged his mate briskly against him pressed to Puck’s side, but with arms curled defensively to his chest like a last ditch barrier between them, and his head tucked firmly into the curve of neck and shoulder. Puck wrapped his arms around Kurt to contain the squirming as the smaller boy tried to sit back up and said firmly, “That’s the worst of it. That’s all I want.” He tried to screw his head around to catch a glimpse of Kurt’s expression when he stilled and asked, “You think you can handle this?”

Kurt stared fixedly at Puck’s throat and tried to imagine he was anywhere but where he was, snapping, “Yes. I’m sure I can cope for a few minutes.”

Puck grinned at the pissy tone of voice and snuggled Kurt closer to him, sighing with relieved pleasure when his headache immediately started to recede in reaction to his mate’s proximity and the huge knot all of his muscles had decided to spontaneously pull into relaxed. “Okay.” He breathed deep, ignored the usual acid smell of fear and focused instead on Kurt’s natural scent. “Thanks.” He forced himself to stay still for a long time, not moving so much as an eyelash if he could help it, before he let one hand slowly begin to move in slow circle against Kurt’s stiffened back. “Relax, we’re all good. Nothing’s going to happen.” He shifted his body slightly, turning so Kurt was held more firmly between his chest and the couch back and blurted rawly, “God, I needed this.”

Kurt jerked at the more confining position and then settled again when Puck tightened his arms minutely and reminded him that he wasn’t going anywhere until Puck decided it. “What happened? Why was your day so bad?”

Puck closed his eyes and tilted his head until his cheek rested against the top of Kurt’s head and he could feel the well cared for strands of hair rubbing against his skin. “Couple of the guys on the football team thought they’d try and get clever in the locker room after practice and jump me to show just how pissed off they are that I’ve joined the rainbow parade now.” He squeezed Kurt lightly when he felt him jerk again and said with amusement, “Relax, Hummel, I’m fine. This whole lycanthrope thing comes in pretty handy with the extra strength and speed deal. My guns have never looked better.”

Kurt scowled into Puck’s chest and said waspishly, “Like I care. I’m just concerned that you haven’t left a trail of dead bodies in your mindless wake.” His fist curled unconsciously over Puck’s heart and he said with considerably more trepidation, “They are okay, right? You didn’t actually kill them?”

Puck stroked in a soothing sweep from Kurt’s nape to the base of his spine. “Not actually an animal, Hummel, I just play one on TV. They’re fine. A little bruised and a lot more tolerant than they were, but fine.” He smiled faintly at Kurt’s almost soundless sigh of relief and continued, “Thanks for the concern though.” His smile stretched into a grin when Kurt grunted in annoyance against him and said, “Santana’s been bugging me all day wanting to hook up and doesn’t seem to get that no means no.”

Kurt scowled. “I know the feeling.” He frowned. “Wait, you turned down sex? You? With _Santana_?”

It was Puck’s turn to scowl. “Hell, yes, I turned her down! What kind of asshole do you think I am? We’re mated.”

Kurt’s head came off of Puck’s shoulder so fast that he nearly gave himself whiplash. “Yes, but we don’t do that! We are _never_ going to do that. I didn’t think that...I mean, I certainly don’t expect you to be celibate! What about all your pool moms?”

Puck’s headache threatened to return with a vengeance at the high pitched flurry of words and he barely hung on to his temper as he cupped Kurt’s head and forced it back down onto his shoulder, ignoring the strident protests on the way down, saying firmly, “We’re mated. You’re all I need.” He forced himself to calm down and not ravish Kurt until he couldn’t walk for the insistent declaration that they would never be physical with each other and reminded himself that he was taking things slow and doing this right and, whether Kurt knew it or not, they were most certainly getting there eventually. “This is what I want now.”

Kurt shuddered at the flat tone of voice and repeated weakly, “We’re not doing that, Noah, I mean it. I don’t want that.”

Puck gathered him closer, stroked his hand up and down his back some more and said quietly, “I know.” He closed his eyes again and resettled his cheek against the top of Kurt’s head. “I know.”

~*~*~*

“You know,” said Mercedes, watching Puck watch Kurt from across the school cafeteria, “He’s actually kinda sweet if you forget about the psycho personality and insanely possessive way he won’t even let anyone breathe too heavy around you.” She shrugged when Kurt stared at her in betrayal. “What? Now you got the licking and sniffing thing down – which you still haven’t explained by the way – and he’s stopped slamming you into walls, he’s really kinda...nice.”

They both turned their heads to look at Puck who grinned across the room at them from where he was seated with the rest of the football team and gave Kurt a laconic wave. 

They blinked, turned their heads back and Kurt hissed, “I can’t believe that you just called Noah Puckerman _nice_. He is evil incarnate, remember? The devil in denim?”

Mercedes stared at him. “And yet still you’re dating him.” She frowned when Kurt blanched and said, “That’s what this is, right? You guys are dating now?”

Kurt hunched his shoulders, acutely aware that Puck’s eyes were still fixed on him from across the room and that with his enhanced hearing he could probably hear every word spoken. “It’s complicated. Maybe. I don’t know.”

Mercedes eyed him narrowly. “Uh-huh.” She shot Puck another look, surprised at the sudden wistful look on his normally sneering face and said thoughtfully, “I really don’t think it’s that complicated, Kurt. The guy’s nuts about you. I don’t know when it happened, I don’t know how it happened, but that boy is gone and the sooner you make up your mind to enjoy the ride and stop moping around like someone stomped your puppy the happier you’ll be.”

Kurt pulled viciously at his sandwich and muttered in broken response to Mercedes’ wretched betrayal, “I hate my life so much.”

~*~*~*~

Puck frowned when Kurt held up a hand to stop him when he moved to pull him towards the couch and into their now customary position of Kurt lying cosily in his arms and held securely between his body and the couch back. “What? What’s the matter? Are you sick?” He sniffed the air worriedly. “You don’t smell sick.”

Kurt flushed a brilliant shade of scarlet and snapped, “Will you please not do that? It’s disgusting!” He took a deep breath and said without meeting Puck’s eyes, “I need you to do something for me.”

“Okay, what?” Puck frowned, almost able to taste the nervousness that rolled off his mate in waves. “Hey, calm down, whatever it is I’ll do it, okay?”

“You don’t even know what it is yet!” Kurt’s voice was rich with exasperation and impatience. “I could be asking you to...to rob a bank and....”

“And if that’s what you needed, then that’s what I’d do.” Puck stepped closer and put his hands on Kurt’s shoulders, squeezing gently when he felt him almost vibrate with tension under his touch. “I keep telling you I’ve got your back. Just tell me what you need me to do.”

Kurt stared down at the floor and tried to ignore the urge to lean forward and let Puck wrap him up in his arms, fighting not to acknowledge even to himself just how comforting he found the other boy’s touch recently. “I need you to come meet my dad.”

Puck’s eyebrows shot up. “Okay?” He stared at the top of Kurt’s bowed head in bewilderment, more than slightly out of his element as he had never been exactly what was acceptable to take home to meet the parents. “Why?”

Kurt’s head hung lower. “He’s been asking questions about where I keep disappearing to every night and he’s noticed that the dry cleaning bill every month has dropped to practically nothing since you keep trying to kill anyone with a slushie in my vicinity and I have to tell him something and it obviously can’t be the truth so I need you to pretend to be my boyfriend until this is all over.”

Puck looked blank. “Over? Until what’s over?”

“This!” Kurt flapped a hand between them, finally looking up to meet Puck’s eyes. “Us! Until you can find someone better than me! We’ve only got a little over eight months until we can do that stupid chemistry ceremony of Sylvester’s and...Puck?” His face paled rapidly. “Noah? What’s wrong?”

Puck couldn’t answer him. He was too busy having the heart ripped out of his chest and changing into a jaguar to explain why he had to get the hell out of that room and do it right the hell _now_.

~*~**

Sylvester stared from Kurt curled up in a blanket and shivering uncontrollably on the couch to the smashed window pane of his spare bedroom that Puck had made his dramatic exit out of. “Damn, kid, what the hell did you _do_?”

~*~*~

It was Sue that eventually found Puck three days later, curled up in the corner of a farmer’s paddock into a mournful ball of black fur. “You’re pathetic!” She stalked up to Puck and, disregarding his menacing snarl, kicked him firmly in the rear. “One little set back and you run for the hills. This is not the behaviour of a winner, Puckerman!”

Puck peeled his lips back from his impressive fangs and screamed a warning at her.

Sue, a winner through and through, was not impressed. “You proud of yourself, Puckerman? Leaving your mate alone and unprotected while you have some kind of girly breakdown? You think that just because you’ve been having snuggles with the little mister every night that he understands just how much you need him now? Newsflash, buddy, they’re _never_ going to understand what it’s like to be us. They don’t know how much power they have, how could they? He thinks that cutting you loose when the year is up is what you want. He doesn’t know that you want to die just thinking about it. How much effort it takes each day just to let him out of your sight for a couple of hours just because you need to be in different places and do different things. He is never going to get it.” Sue tipped her head, sighing when Puck snarled weakly at her and then laid his head despondently back on the ground. “They can’t understand because they’re human and they don’t know how much it hurts to know that they can’t feel about us the way we feel about them. To know that they are never going to know us on every level the way we know them.” She crouched and patted absently at Puck’s hindquarters. “Bucko, the best you can do is make him feel safe and make him feel loved and hope like hell that when the time comes you’ve done enough to make him choose you.” She patted his leg again, advising sincerely, “Tame the monkey, kiddo, tame the monkey.”

~*~*~*

Burt Hummel looked at the kid standing on his doorstep and hoped profoundly that this wasn’t the boyfriend Kurt had suddenly announced was on the scene last week. “Yeah?” 

The kid held out his hand. “Mr Hummel? I’m Noah Puckerman, Kurt’s boyfriend.”

Burt’s face – and hopes – fell. “Of course you are.” He looked Puck unenthusiastically up and down, taking in every inch of him from his mohawked head to his scuffed sneakers. “You’d better come in.”

“Thank you, sir.” Puck nodded politely and stepped inside when Burt moved back, his nose twitching when the unmistakable smell of his mate filled his senses. “Is Kurt here? I’ve been out of town for a couple of days and....”

“Puck?” Kurt’s incredulous voice had both heads turning and Puck’s heart thumped when he saw his mate standing in the doorway of what looked like a family room, staring at him disbelievingly. “Puck! You’re back!” He shot a helpless look at his dad and then looked back at Puck with a frantic expression. “I didn’t know....I mean....”

Burt shuffled his feet uncomfortably and coughed. “I’m gonna go and get myself a beer. You two, uh, go watch TV or something in the family room.” He stared pointedly at Puck, evidently not overwhelmed at the thought of leaving him alone with his only child and said warningly, “I’m just going to be in the garage.”

Puck nodded, understandingly. If _he_ wasn’t him he wouldn’t be crazy about leaving him alone with Kurt either. “Thanks, Mr. Hummel.” He waited until the older man disappeared into the kitchen and then turned to Kurt and lifted one hand towards him. “Sorry.”

Kurt eyed his hand and wrapped his arms defensively around his chest, remaining obstinately where he was. “I didn’t think you were coming back.”

“I was always coming back.” Puck took a slow step forward and crooked his fingers, sniffing surreptitiously at the air between them and noting that although there was still a healthy dose of fear there was also a comforting smell of almonds and more than a touch of relief. “I just needed to get some things straight in my head. Come here?”

Kurt shot a worried look in the direction of the garage. “My dad...”

“Has just met your boyfriend who’s been away for a couple of days and will think it’s really weird if he spies on us and we’re not even hugging.” Puck wrapped his fingers around Kurt’s wrist and pulled him slowly towards him until he was pressed up against him as tight as he could. “Just for a minute, okay? I just need a minute.”

Kurt remained stiff and unresponsive for a moment before sniffing and winding his arms around Puck’s waist and letting himself be tucked into his chest. “I haven’t forgiven you. You scared me half to death changing like that.”

Puck hummed low in his throat and wrapped himself around Kurt, breathing him in and squeezing him tight. “Sorry.” He swayed from side to side absently as the clawing need and aching loneliness inside him finally quieted and hugged Kurt to him as hard as he could. “I’m back now. I won’t leave you again.”

Kurt stayed silent but the smell of almond scented relief suddenly flooding from him in waves had Puck grinning like a loon for days afterwards.

~*~*~*

Curiosity was the key it turned out. Puck – hating himself but not knowing what else to do – had gone back to The Book and had re-read it from cover to cover to get some ideas on what to do next. He had the whole patience and kindness thing down – mostly, he at least made sure to apologise hastily whenever he thought he’d screwed up and Kurt stopped smelling like almonds and started smelling all metallic and sharp when they were together – and he had his mate to the point where Kurt didn’t automatically flinch away from him when he put his hand to Kurt’s back or let their arms brush together in passing, but he had no idea how to move them to the next level and get Kurt to start coming to him of his own volition. The Book was very clear on a monkey’s natural curiosity being a major factor in encouraging the bond between primate and...well, primate, and Puck realised that Kurt had now started to watch him with wary interest instead of dark suspicion that he was about to get pounded and dumped in the nearest trash can. He made sure to always appear relaxed and at ease in the other boy’s company, always interested in anything he had to say – although Kurt was amazingly stubborn at keeping silent for most of their one on one time together – and he always made sure that he brought along some of Kurt’s favourite snacks to their ‘dates’ at Sylvester’s house because another big theme through The Book was positive reinforcement.

Monkey does a trick? Monkey gets a treat.

They didn’t talk about what had prompted Puck’s shift into the jaguar and his subsequent disappearing act – Kurt because he was still horribly traumatised by finding himself trapped in a room with a snarling big cat, and Puck because he was terrified even a hint of being rejected by his mate would make the same thing happen again – but it amazingly hadn’t done any more lasting damage to their fragile truce other than Puck having to endure another lecture from Sylvester about control and his lack thereof and replacing the window in the spare room. They had gone back to their routine of meeting for half an hour each night for Puck to hold Kurt on the couch and, thankful though he was for Kurt’s compliance in the matter, Puck had started to want more than a heavy weight lying dully in his arms and just waiting for it to be over.

The badass lycanthropy shit was turning him into such a freakin’ chick.

He started slow. Kurt had never objected to the way Puck ended up stroking his back a little while into their couch sessions so he started to introduce it earlier and earlier each evening until their usual routine became Kurt curling into him and pushing his face into the side of Puck’s neck and the bigger boy curling one arm around his shoulders and using his other hand to rub warm circles over tense muscles until Kurt was almost boneless against him. He kept this up for nearly two weeks before Kurt started to shift against him and frown into his shoulder and then nearly yelled an ‘Oo-rah!’ of his own when Kurt abruptly moved the arms he had always held curled up against his chest between them and slipped one around Puck’s waist and the other down between their bodies to lie against Puck’s side. Puck’s eyes snapped open and he stared at the ceiling, aware of Kurt holding his breath as he waited to be mocked or shoved away. Puck grinned. “Hey, good idea.” He gripped Kurt’s shoulders, shimmied and then brought his mate over him to lie full length along his body and let him bring his other arm up to curl under Puck’s shoulder and wrap his fingers over the smooth muscle. “Yeah, this works a lot better. You good?” 

Kurt stared at the base of Puck’s throat, considered and then said slowly, “Yes?”

“Great.” Puck slung one arm over the base of Kurt’s spine and used his other hand to come up and begin to scratch lightly at the base of his hairline and back of his neck, grinning wider when Kurt couldn’t contain a shudder of reaction and a sigh of pure pleasure escaped before he caught himself. “Yeah, this totally works.”

He took a deep breath and didn’t realise he had started to purr when he smelt nothing but almond brittle.

~*~*~*

“I have to work tonight.” Kurt had appeared out of nowhere at Puck’s locker and had made his announcement staring fixedly at the letter on Puck’s red jacket and with his hands clenched into defensive fists at his sides. “I won’t have time to come out to meet you at Sylvester’s. I’ll be there tomorrow.”

Puck barely had time to reach out and grab his wrist before Kurt had turned on his heel and made to disappear as quickly as he appeared. “Hey, hold up.” He glared at a couple members of the hockey team when they passed by and pulled disgusted faces at them and then gently tugged Kurt towards him, frowning when he smelled fear surrounding Kurt like a cloak. “Calm down, I’m not going to freak out or anything.”

The smell of fear stuttered and then melded into surprise and what Puck identified tentatively as hopeful relief. “You aren’t?” Kurt watched him warily, his expression not giving anything away. “Not even a slushie for old time’s sake?”

Puck glowered and snapped, “Not unless you’re thirsty.” He pulled Kurt closer to him and said quietly, “There any way we can maybe still meet up somewhere else? Doesn’t matter what time, I’ll wait for as long as I need to. Just don’t think I got good enough control over this thing yet to skip a night with you.”

Kurt raised his head and stared at him silently before frowning. “I...I really don’t think so, Puck. Two of my dad’s mechanics are out sick and he’s really behind. We probably won’t even get in till after eleven.”

“Please,” said Puck, letting some of his desperation show. He lived for those quiet moments with Kurt each night and the thought of having to wait another day before having that again made every primal instinct he had – newly acquired or otherwise – want to grab up his mate and run with him until they couldn’t be found by man or beast. “Please, just a few minutes. I’ll meet you wherever you say, just.... _please_.”

Kurt looked at him with his mouth open for a long moment before giving a faint nod. “Alright. I’ll text you when we’re done and you can sneak in my window.” He scowled suddenly. “But only for a few minutes and you leave as soon as I tell you to!”

Puck sighed with relief and nodded agreement. “Deal.”

~*~*~*

It had been nearer twelve by the time Kurt and his dad had made it home and he was barely awake and still streaked with oil and grease when he flipped the latch on his window and stood back to let Puck slither into the room. “I have to get cleaned up.” He blinked up at Puck in the darkness of the room. “My dad’s gone to bed, but he’ll flip if he thinks you’re in here so please don’t touch anything or make a noise?”

Puck, barely managing to stop himself grabbing Kurt and yanking him down to the floor there and then, nodded and growled, “Hurry.”

Kurt looked startled and then backed away, saying sharply, “Just a few minutes, you promised. You said you’d go when I say.”

Puck clenched his fists, snarling in frustration, “And I will, just hurry up already.” He watched when Kurt backed into his bathroom and shut the door and then stripped off his jacket, barely able to breathe in the suddenly close confines of the more than spacious room. His head snapped towards the bathroom door when he realised the shower had just gone on and Kurt was fucking naked in there. He dropped to a crouch, fighting with everything he had not to kick the door down and yank his mate into his arms, clutching his bowed head in both hands as he snarled over and over to himself trying to wait it out.

Puck had no idea how long he had crouched on the floor, shuddering and reduced to wordless groans of longing and frustration, but he only came back to himself when he felt Kurt’s hand on his forearm and heard his frantic voice whispering in his ear. “Puck? Puck, please, stop it. I don’t know what to do. Noah? Noah, _please_.” He blinked and tried to focus because Kurt sounded close to hyperventilating and he’d sworn that nothing would ever upset the smaller boy that badly again. “Noah, please don’t make me go and get my dad to take you to hospital because right not you just look like you’re high or something and he’s never going to understand what’s really wrong with you and if he thinks you’re some kind of junkie as well as in a gang then I’ll get grounded for the rest of my life to stop me seeing you and I think that would be a really, truly terrible idea and possibly lead to the destruction of McKinley and maybe Lima as we know it because I don’t think you’d handle that very well and.... _Noah, please_.”

Puck managed to drag his head up and then promptly gagged on the stench of sheer terror that surrounded him. It hadn’t been that bad since their first weeks together and he’d almost let himself forget what it smelled like. “I’m...okay.” He blinked and tried to grin his usual devil may care grin at his mate. Judging from the mask of fright Kurt’s expression was twisted into he didn’t quite manage to pull it off. “Seriously, just...I need....”

“Okay, okay!” Kurt scrambled to his feet and got behind Puck to slip his arms under his armpits and haul him to his unsteady feet. “The couch, can you make it?”

Puck narrowed his eyes and focused on the long white couch a few feet away. “Yeah.” He staggered across the room and dropped ungracefully into it, groaning with relief when his cramped muscles stretched out. He had barely managed to raise one hand to grope blindly for Kurt when his eyes popped open in shock at the feel of his mate swarming over him and pressing himself as close to Puck as he could while he twined his arms and legs around him. “Kurt?” His own arms wrapped around Kurt’s narrow back and he turned them automatically, pressing Kurt between his body and the couch back as tightly as he could. “Chill out, okay? It’s all good.”

Kurt pressed his face into Puck’s throat and spluttered indignantly, “It is not okay! You couldn’t hear me and just kept making that awful whimpering noise....”

Puck scowled. “Snarling! I was snarling!”

“Whimpering!” Kurt shot back tartly and tried to push himself even closer to Puck, arms and legs shaking with effort as he clutched him as tightly as he could. “You were whimpering and it was horrible and...you couldn’t hear me!”

Puck heroically abandoned the whimpering argument – which he so didn’t do because he was a complete badass and just used manly snarling to convey his occasional lycanthropy induced emo pain – and gathered Kurt to him as tightly as he could, whispering, “I heard you. You came and got me, okay? You saved the day, Hummel.” He cupped one hand to the back of Kurt’s head and pressed his face into his neck and shoulder. “We’re good.”

Kurt shuddered but didn’t protest being half smothered against Puck and dug his nails into Puck so hard they were in danger of breaking through his t-shirt and splitting the skin of his back beneath. Puck stared blindly at the back of the couch over Kurt’s head and concentrated on calming them both down, belatedly realising that all the fear and anguish he had smelt rolling off Kurt had been for him and that for the very first time his mate had actually initiated contact between them and was doing everything he could to make it last as long as possible and showing every sign of settling in for the night. He let the grip he had on Kurt’s head soften and began to comb through his still damp hair, loving that, for once, there was nothing clinging to it but the faint smell of shampoo and Kurt’s own scent. Kurt sighed and tried to squirm closer, his nose pressing hard to the base of Puck’s throat and warm breath skating over his throbbing pulse. 

Puck shuddered and thought extremely hard about Finn taking out the mailman.

“Puck?” Kurt’s hesitant voice dragged him back from grimly lining up mailmen in a row and mowing them all down one by one and he craned his head back to peer awkwardly down at the other boy in the darkness suddenly ridiculously terrified that Kurt was going to tell him to leave. Kurt squinted up at him and frowned before blurting out, “Does it hurt like that all the time? Is that why we have to do this?”

For a moment – one very long, unforgivable moment – Puck considered just saying yes. Telling Kurt that he was unimaginable pain for every hour of every day and the only way his agony would end would be if Kurt stopped pussying around and just let Puck lock him away safely and let himself be ravished daily every day for the rest of his life. He was aware enough now of Kurt’s true nature that he could play the sympathy card and bind the his mate to him that way but while that would work it wouldn’t be enough. He wanted it all and of Kurt’s own free will. “No, it doesn’t usually get that bad.” He let his fingers stray to push some wet strands of hair of Kurt’s eyes and smiled down at the irritated expression that caused even though he had a feeling Kurt thought he couldn’t see it. “Normally what we do takes the edge off. Keeps it manageable.”

Kurt frowned and laid his head back down, saying thoughtfully, “Manageable. Not makes it go away altogether.”

Puck frowned himself and said slowly, “No. It’s kinda always there; I just try to ignore it.” He shrugged. “It’s always better after you let me be like this with you. I can handle everything else.”

Kurt was quiet for a long time before he spoke again. “You’re much kinder than I expected you to be. Much...gentler. Why?”

Puck shrugged again. “Guess no one ever let me be nice to them before. People got expectations, you know? Most times you find yourself living up to them whether you want to or not.” He let himself stare up at the dark ceiling of the basement before saying warily, “I like this. The holding and shit. Not just because of the dumb curse thing but it just feels nice being with someone like this. With you, I mean. It’s nice.”

Puck thought he’d gone too far for a moment – Kurt was so still and rigid against him it was almost like holding a surfboard and then he relaxed and confessed barely audibly into Puck’s skin, “Me too.”

They were the two sweetest words Puck had ever heard.

~*~*~*

When Kurt marched up to him at school the next day looking pale and determined Puck wasn’t quite sure what to make of it. He could smell Kurt was nervous and embarrassed, but he also couldn’t smell any sign of pain or anger in him so he knew that he didn’t need to go and hunt down any idiots that were especially hard of learning when it came to the ‘Hummel’s off limits!’ mandate. He shot a warning glare at a couple of the football players he had been idly chatting to when they rolled their eyes at the interruption. “Hey, what’s up?” He grinned down at Kurt’s tense face, remembering how puffy and flushed he had looked when they had finally said goodbye at dawn after falling asleep on the couch in each other’s arms. “You okay? Not too tired?”

Kurt reddened at the reminder of the night they had spent together and darted a look at the footballers still standing at Puck’s back. “You can walk me to class.” His eyes widened when Puck looked taken aback at his sharp demand and he said hurriedly, “I mean, if you want to. You don’t have to. We have history together and....” He looked miserably up at Puck, his mouth turning down unhappily. “I thought it might help. With the... _you know_.”

Puck stared at him blankly. “Not really.”

Kurt looked at Puck’s teammates, scowled and then fastened a hand on Puck’s arm to drag him away and out of earshot. “I don’t want you to be in pain all the time, not when something so simple could stop it, and you’ve already made sure pretty much everyone in the school knows there’s a...thing...between us now and you’ve scared all of them so much that I honestly don’t think anyone would dare even think the words dumpster or slushie around us so you can touch me if you want. There. I said it. Go ahead.”

Puck stared some more at Kurt’s defiant and expectant face. “Uh, thanks?” He moved to stand at Kurt’s side and brought his arm up to rest on his slim shoulders. “This okay?”

Kurt kept his eyes fixed straight ahead and nodded his cherry red face. “Acceptable, thank you. We should go, we’ll be late.”

Grinning at the looks they were getting and at the blessed feel of his mate’s heat plastered along his side, Puck said smugly, “Ask me if I care.”

Kurt coughed nervously. “It seems silly for us both to drive out to Sylvester’s every night when there’s a perfectly good couch in my basement. If you promise not to shed or, you know, eat my dad accidently when you change we could go there.” He darted a look up at Puck’s face and then looked hastily away again at the look of delight there. “And we’d have longer. My dad goes to bed around eleven and he’s a pretty deep sleeper so if last night happened again sometimes then it wouldn’t be the end of the world.”

Curling his arm around Kurt’s shoulder a little tighter Puck managed to restrain himself from kissing the holy hell out of him – but only just. He contented himself with saying gruffly, “That’d be good.” He sniffed discreetly in Kurt’s general direction and couldn’t stop a smile exploding on his face when the only scent rolling off his mate was warm almond brittle and something like contentment.

~*~*~*

It became a ritual. Meeting for ‘official’ dates three times a week where Puck picked Kurt up from his front door and delivered him back two hours later under Burt’s suspicious eye – right before dodging round the back of the house and shimmying through the now permanently unlocked window in Kurt’s bedroom to spend the night curled up together on the couch. The other four nights they spent with their other friends and doing normal teenaged things before meeting back at Kurt’s and tumbling down onto the couch to let Puck soak up Kurt’s scent and presence and sometimes to discuss their days or watch a film with the volume turned down low.

Puck made sure that he showed enough of his face at home to prevent his mom becoming suspicious and that his bed always looked slept in, but for all intents and purposes he was pretty much living in Kurt Hummel’s basement and loving every minute of it. He loved that Kurt always smelled warm and sweet around him now and only ever seemed to look at him with a smile and clear eyes and, best of all, thought nothing of crawling into his lap in his sleep gear to curl up in his arms and fall asleep for the night. He had started to initiate touching of his own when he realised that rubbing his fingers through the hair on Puck’s forearm caused the bigger boy to purr uncontrollably and scratching his nails through Puck’s narrow strip of hair had him mindless with pleasure and agreeing to anything and everything Kurt suggested up to, and including, helping him learn all the Beyonce choreography available on You Tube one weekend just because he was bored.

The last barrier was Glee club and there it had taken Kurt longer to assert himself. Puck had the idea it was because it was their friends and these people actually mattered to both of them – and also because Santana still looked homicidal on occasion when she saw them together – but one day Kurt had marched into the rehearsal room with the same pale and determined expression that he had worn when he announced to Puck that he was now allowed to touch him in school and had ignored everyone else to stalk over to Puck where he was sprawled on the top of the stage steps and, with barely a grimace of distaste at the floor, slung down his bag and sat himself down between Puck’s thighs. 

Puck sat up and looked at the top of Kurt’s head and then looked up at their friends and Mr Schue, all staring at them unabashedly. “Hey.”

“Hello.” Kurt bent his head and fumbled with the buttons on his jacket, trying to get it off and ignore his entire face was an extraordinary shade of fire engine red. “I had to stay back in Math. I’m late.”

“You’re good.” Puck leaned forward to still Kurt’s shaking fingers and make quick work of the buttons, tugging his jacket off as he murmured in his ear, “Relax, no one cares.” He pulled Kurt back into the cradle of his hips and cupped his face to turn his head making him looking up and meet his eyes. “No one cares.” He tilted his head forward, smiling slightly when Kurt’s eyes widened in alarm when he evidently thought Puck was going to try for a kiss and then pressed their foreheads together. “You worry too much.” 

Kurt closed his eyes and turned more fully into Puck’s arms when Mercedes let out a piercing wolf whistle and led the rest of the group in a raucous chorus of whistles and hoots to celebrate their ‘official’ outing. He pressed his burning face to Puck’s chest and fought back a smile when he felt strong arms pull him even closer and laughter explode up through the muscular torso he now habitually used as a pillow every night.

~*~*~*

It wasn’t that Puck had forgotten that their first year was up – it was just he was hoping like hell _Kurt_ had. He found it hard to remember the time before Adam had bitten him now, it seemed so far removed from the person he had become. His grades had improved tenfold since he had realised that unless he really got his head down then he would be forced to let Kurt go off to college without him – which so wasn’t happening - or Kurt would be forced to stay forever in Lima because the guy he was mated to couldn’t do any better than pool boy or janitor at their old high school. Which also wasn’t an option.

He had a real circle of friends for the first time in his life, not just a bunch of dudes that he hung with and pulled stupid stunts with, and he honestly loved performing with Glee as much as he still loved being out on the football field. He had met some more lycans through Sylvester and Sue and had even taken Kurt along to one or two gatherings to start gradually introducing him to that side of Puck’s life. He had much more control over his jaguar now and, aside from the one time of the month where he absolutely had no choice in the matter; he could pretty much flow between shapes with little to no pain and minimum disorientation and at will. The only fly in the ointment as far as Puck was concerned was that he and Kurt had still never discussed the possible severing of their bond and he honestly had no idea what his mate would choose when it came time.

Puck knew for his part that although it had started between them on nothing more than heightened primal instincts and uncontrollable animal urges it was so much more now. He had spent far longer with Kurt than he had ever done with anyone before, worked far harder than he had ever done before to crack the outer shell of a potential conquest, and somewhere along the line had fallen in love. He liked thinking he had someone to care for and hold whenever he wanted and he liked Kurt’s face lighting up when he walked into a room and he liked knowing that when Kurt wrapped around him at night that he was the only one who had ever gotten to see the peaceful unguarded look on his mate’s face and hear the quiet noises he made in his sleep. He had done everything he had possibly could to make Kurt feel safe and loved and to gain his trust – without crossing one final line.

The final three months of their year together Kurt’s scent had begun to change subtly again whenever they were together and it had taken Puck almost two days before he realised that what he was scenting was arousal. His first reaction had been one of delight and he had been already turning to haul Kurt up against him before he made himself stop and think. He was desperate to keep Kurt as his mate but he wanted it to be because Kurt made the choice with a clear mind and heart and not because he thought it was his duty to keep Puck under control so he didn’t go off at the deep end and slaughter half of Lima or because he was lust dazed with his first sexual experiences. As much to his own surprise as it would have been to anyone else’s had he confided in them, Puck realised what he wanted more than anything else was to be loved for himself and no other reason. 

The morning of their year anniversary Puck had lived through the hardest moment of his life when he waved goodbye Kurt as his mate headed off with Mercedes to their shared biology class and Kurt had barely spared him a smile in parting over his shoulder.

The rest of the morning was pure hell as he fought against the churning in his guts making him want to vomit and the urge to go and storm Kurt’s gym class and drag him out to hide him away until the danger of separation had passed once and for all. The aura of danger crackling around him had even Finn giving him a wide berth and it was with some satisfaction that he arrived on the football field for his own gym session and saw all his teammates huddled together eyeing him warily and whispering nervously between themselves. Puck grinned mirthlessly and rammed his entirely superfluous helmet on his head. “Let’s do this.” He was going to make someone _bleed_. 

“Noah!” The high pitched yell had his head snapping round and his feet moving before he’d even properly registered Kurt’s familiar figure streaking towards him like the hounds of hell were after him. He had a brief moment to register the irony that this time the previous year it had been him that Kurt had been running from like that before his mate crashed into his chest and proceeded to climb him like a tree. “Noah, please, I don’t want to go. Don’t let them take me. I don’t want to go!”

Yanking off his helmet, Puck clamped his arms around Kurt and felt his hackles rise sharply. “What the hell, Hummel?” He tried to peel the smaller boy off him and move him safely to the side and behind so that he could protect him and assess the threat level of whatever the hell had spooked him, but Kurt was trying to battle his way past all Puck’s football padding and wrap his arms around his neck like a python so he had to settle for shoving his head down and to the side so he could peer over Kurt’s hunched shoulders. “Sylvester?” He blinked in surprise when he saw his friend draw to a panting halt before him, backed by two sober looking men unfamiliar to Puck. “What the hell is going on?” He sniffed and caught the scents of two unknown lycanthropes. “Who the hell are these guys?”

“Puck,” Sylvester’s eyes flickered uneasily to the team and Coach Tanaka standing a little way off and watching the group with interest. “Don’t make a scene. We’re not going to hurt him, but it’s time for the ritual. We know he hasn’t accepted the bond and you need to dissolve this and move on to look for someone more acceptable. He’ll be fine, just let us take him.”

The savage snarl that erupted from Puck’s throat had not only Sylvester and his two friends drawing back but the team and coach scrambling hastily back as well. Kurt froze before pulling his head back and staring at Puck wide eyed for a moment and then as hastily as he had been climbing Puck moments before he was shimmying down and tugging hard on Puck’s hand to get him moving. “Run, Noah!”

They pelted across the field, ignoring the shouts to stop behind them, and Puck lengthened his stride to pull ahead and make sure he was between Kurt and any danger – so it seemed like a miracle that when Sue Sylvester stepped in front of him he didn’t immediately rip her head off her shoulders and actually gave her time to snap, “Here, Simba, my car keys. Get the hell out of here and avoid the student parking lot. They’re staking that out too.”

Puck snatched the keys out of her hand. “You’re helping us?”

Sue grinned savagely. “Us monkey tamers gotta stick together, right?” She jerked her head back to indicate Emma standing wide eyed and pale behind her. “Sometimes in life you gotta realise that things aren’t always as simple as biting some doe eyed dolly and getting them to show you their belly. You gotta work for perfection, kid, and that takes time.” She shot a look back over her shoulder at Emma and a thoroughly creepy smile crossed her face. “A lifetime might not be enough.” Her head snapped back around when shouts sounded from the direction of the football field and her cousin pounded into view in hot pursuit. “Take the little mister and get out of here, I’ll take care of this. Mine’s the blue Prius.”

“Thanks.” Puck nodded and nearly yanked Kurt off his feet when he took off again. “I owe you one.”

They crashed into the side of Sue’s car as the sound of a fight broke out behind them and Puck unlocked the driver’s side to shove Kurt inside before vaulting over the hood and yanking open the passenger door to tumble inside. “Go!” He cursed long and loud as he fought against his football jersey and pads when Kurt peeled out of the parking lot. “You hurt?”

“No.” Kurt shook his head and wrapped his shaking hands tighter around the steering wheel. “They didn’t touch me. I...Noah, I’m sorry, I just reacted. We should go back. This is stupid. You’ve been waiting for this for a year and I panicked and ruined it for you and they’ve probably already got someone else all lined up for you and....”

“Pull over.” Puck cut through the babble and gestured to a side road leading into the woods coming up fast through the windscreen. “Up there. Pull over and go down far enough to hide the car from the road.”

Kurt shot him a nervous look. “Noah....Puck, I....”

“Pull. _Over_.” Puck ignored the small noise of fright Kurt made in the back of his throat and folded his arms over his now bare chest until the car drew to a halt far enough down the small track to hide it from the road. He leaned across to yank out the keys from the ignition and throw them to land on the back seat somewhere before flinging open his door and stalking around the car to pull open Kurt’s door and pull him out. He shoved him back against the car, leaned down until their noses were touching and snarled, “You’re my mate. I don’t want anyone else.”

Kurt stared at him slightly cross eyed with the proximity and said weakly, “That’s the hormones talking. Biology 101.”

Puck growled with frustration. “Not the hormones. It’s not me that’s got to choose here, Hummel. I’m set on what I want.” He poked a finger into Kurt’s chest for emphasis. “ _You_.” He sniffed the air between them and said triumphantly, “You’re not scared of me anymore.”

Kurt scowled, snapping indignantly, “No I’m not scared of you!” He planted his hands on Puck’s chest and shoved him back at step. “And stop trying to bully me, that won’t work now.”

Grinning helplessly, Puck let himself get shoved back again when Kurt came away from the car. “No it really won’t.” He looked down into furious blue eyes and lifted his hand to push Kurt’s bangs out of his face. “That’s pretty cool.”

Kurt opened his mouth, shut it again and squinted up at him suspiciously.

Puck hooked a hand around the back of Kurt’s neck and encouraged him forward until their bodies were just brushing against each other. “I’m always going to choose you. Not because I have to, but because I want too. I think the whole lycanthropy thing just gave me a reason to keep coming around and let us see each other.”

Still eyeing him suspiciously, Kurt rested his hands on Puck’s waist. “You won’t regret it if we go through with this? I think I’m probably high maintenance.”

Laughing Puck said, “Hummel, I’m pretty much hard wired not to regret this. You’re the one who has to be sure. Its a pretty big ask for a guy to sign his life away in high school and know he’s never going to be with anyone else.” His flashed a rueful grin. “I’ll see your high maintenance and raise you a crazy possessive.”

Kurt stared at him silently for a moment and then lifted his chin with the superior expression that used to make Puck want to slushie him immediately and now just made him want to kiss Kurt senseless. “I can live with that.” His eyes clouded with worry and he glanced away over Puck’s shoulder, fixing his gaze on the surrounding trees. “What about the whole...intimacy thing? You haven’t...we don’t....”

Puck rolled his eyes impatiently and cupped his hand around Kurt’s jaw to force his eyes to meet his. “Hummel, I pretty much want to bone you stupid 24/7. Trust me that side of things is definitely going to work out.” He smiled when Kurt still looked worried and said gently, “What part of I was waiting for you to choose did you not get?”

Kurt’s eyes widened and he blushed furiously. “Oh.” He scowled. “Well you could have said something. I thought you’d just lost interest in that side of things.”

Puck’s jaw dropped incredulously. “Have you met me? Seriously?” His eyes warmed when Kurt burst out laughing at his affronted expression and he said quietly, “Turns out you’re worth waiting for.” He bent his head, eyes fixed on Kurt’s mouth. “I’ve really wanted to...” His head jerked up and around, eyes narrowed back towards the road. “Get back in the car and lock the doors.”

“What?” Kurt’s eyes flew open after they had closed in anticipation of Puck’s kiss and stared in bewilderment up at the other boy. “Why?”

“Do it!” Puck shoved him away, the hairs on the back of his neck rising in warning and his throat tightening with a growl. “Get in the fucking car!”

“Puck, it’s alright.” Sylvester’s voice floated out of the trees followed shortly by the man himself. Completely naked. “Just stay calm.”

“You touch him and I’ll fucking kill you.” Puck curled into a half crouch, prepared to spring. “Pants or no pants. 

Kurt, having disregarded the order to get in the car, repeated blankly “Pants?” and peeped over Puck’s tense shoulder to yelp in horrified embarrassment when he got to see a lot more of Sylvester than he ever thought he would. “ _Oh my God_!”

Puck reached back, grabbed one of Kurt’s wrists and pulled him tight to his naked back, growling, “I liked you better when you did what the fuck I told you.”

Kurt thumped a brawny shoulder with his free hand and hissed indignantly, “You did not!” He plastered himself up against Puck and asked a little shrilly, “Why is he naked? What are they going to do to me?”

“Nothing!” Sylvester held up his hands defensively when Puck’s eyes flashed warningly and his lips peeled back from his teeth. “I shifted because that was the fastest way to track you. Fur doesn’t come with pockets, kid.” His eyes darted between the two boys and he said slowly, “So I’m guessing we’re not going to be needing that ritual after all?" 

Puck waited expectantly for Kurt to speak up and then turned his head when the other boy stayed silent. “Kurt?”

Kurt stared up at him in confusion. “What?” His eyes widened in sudden understanding. “Oh! Sorry!” He looked back at Sylvester and his face flamed in response when he tried to ignore the older man’s nakedness and said, “I want to stay with Puck. I don’t want to have anything altered.” Puck shot Sylvester a triumphant look whilst Kurt went on to mutter sulkily, “Which I would have thought would have been plainly obvious while you chased me through school as I screamed his name.”

Sylvester’s lips twitched. “Yeah, sorry about that. If it helps we were thinking of you. Lycans don’t react well when they get rejected by their mates and we were trying to protect you and make it as non traumatic as possible.” His eyes flickered to Puck and then back to Kurt, still watching him warily over his mate’s shoulder. “You sure now, kid? There’s no going back if you change your mind later on. You’ll be stuck with him.”

Kurt felt Puck tense and wrapped his arms around his waist, pressing his cheek against his warm skin. “I want him.”

An approving smile creased Sylvester’s face and he nodded to Puck. “You chose well.” He jerked his thumb back towards the road when Puck glared silently back at him not quite willing to forgive and forget just yet and said, “I better head back. Sue got a little enthusiastic with the boys when she was giving you time to make your getaway. They’re going to need someone to drive them home from the hospital.” He looked down at himself ruefully. “Also, pants.”

Puck and Kurt watched him melt back into the trees and then Puck was spinning to glare furiously at his mate. “The next time I tell you to do something you do it!”

“Excuse me?” Kurt’s eyes narrowed dangerously. “Just because I said I want to stay with you does _not_ mean you get to tell me what to do. I wasn’t about to leave you alone, you might have gotten hurt!”

Puck gaped at him. “What were you planning on doing to help me? They can shift into _wild animals_.”

Kurt crossed his arms over his chest and tilted his nose up snootily. “Well I coped just fine with you and your minions for years so I’m sure I would have thought of something.” He buffed his nails on his tailored shirt. “I’m very resourceful.”

Puck was precisely three minutes into his newly confirmed life bond and he already wanted to strangle his beloved mate – he didn’t think that was a good sign. “You got covered with corn syrup and day old spaghetti all the time! How is that resourceful?”

Kurt scowled. “I always made sure I had a change of clothes at least as fabulous as the one that got dirty.”

Puck gaped at him some more and then covered his eyes with one hand. “God, I must be insane.” He took a deep breath, held it and then let it out again in one quick rush. “He dropped his hand and couldn’t help grinning at Kurt’s face all screwed up in anger and indignation. “Come here.”

Kurt snorted. “Just so you know the word ‘please’ is going to be featuring heavily in your vocabulary a great deal in the future. I am not a pet and I don’t respond to uncouth demands.”

Puck sniffed the air, grinned and reached out with one arm to yank him in. “The hell you don’t.” 

And, as he’d wanted to do for the past year, kissed the hell out of Kurt Hummel.

~*~*~*

The End.


End file.
